GOLF
Loupe leads by 1
Andrew Loupe took a 1-stroke lead over Roberto Castro at 8 under par at the Wells Fargo Championship, while Phil Mickelson and Rickie Fowler were close behind heading into the weekend. Loupe shot a 1-under 71 on Friday, an up-and-down round with four birdies and three bogeys. Castro had a 66 for the best round of the day. He eagled No. 18, one of the toughest closing holes on the PGA Tour. Chesson Hadley and Mark Hubbard were two shots back. Hadley had a 67, and Hubbard shot 68. Fowler shot a 68, and Mickelson had a 70 to reach 5 under. Defending champion Rory McIlroy bogeyed the final two holes for a 69 to drop six strokes back. David Lingmerth (Arkansas Razorbacks) had 4 birdies and 3 bogeys for a 1-under 71 (142). There was a bizarre moment at Quail Hollow Club when Jason Kokrak's ball landed in an elevated tent near the 18th green. With tables and chairs on each side of him and fans holding glasses of wine on either side of him, Kokrak chipped off a green artificial grass rug through a small opening "Tin Cup" style to 17 feet of the hole before two-putting for bogey. Unlike the fictional Roy McAvoy, Kokrak failed to make the cut.
• So Yeon Ryu birdied five of her last eight holes for a bogey-free 7-under-par 65 and a two-stroke lead Friday in the Yokohama Tire LPGA Classic at Prattville, Ala. Ranked 10th in the world but sixth in the race for the four spots on South Korea's Olympic team, Ryu made three consecutive birdies on Nos. 2-4 and added two more on the par-4 sixth and par-5 eighth. The 2011 U.S. Women's Open champion had a 9-under 135 total on the links-style Senator Course at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail's Capitol Hill complex. Minjee Lee, Morgan Pressel and Ryann O'Toole were tied for second. Lee closed with a bogey for a 70. Pressel had a 68, and O'Toole birdied her final hole for a 67. First-round leader Laetitia Beck followed her opening 65 with a 73 to drop into a tie for fifth at 6 under with Caroline Masson (68) and Annie Park (71). Fourth-ranked Stacy Lewis (Arkansas Razorbacks), the 2012 winner, topped the group at 5 under after a 68. She's winless in 48 events. Eighth-ranked Amy Yang and Gerina Piller also shot 68 to reach 5 under. Michelle Wie was 1 under after a 72. She's winless since the 2014 U.S. Women's Open and hasn't had a top-10 finish in 34 events. Gaby Lopez (Razorbacks) had an even-par round of 72 (1-over 145).
• John Daly (Dardanelle, Arkansas Razorbacks) shot a 2-under-par 70 on Friday in his PGA Tour Champions debut, leaving him four strokes behind leader Mike Goodes in the Insperity Invitational at The Woodlands, Texas. Daly had four birdies and two bogeys at The Woodlands Country Club, playing alongside friend Fuzzy Zoeller and Peter Jacobsen. The two-time major champion was tied for 12th. He turned 50 on April 28. Daly parred the first six holes, bogeyed the par-4 seventh and rebounded with birdies on the par-3 eighth and par-4 ninth. He added birdies on the par-4 11th and par-5 13th, had a bogey on the par-3 14th and closed with four pars. Goodes, 59, bogeyed the par-4 18th for a 66. He made four consecutive birdies on Nos. 13-16. Canada's Stephen Ames had a 67, and area resident Jeff Maggert and Duffy Waldorf shot 68. Defending champion Ian Woosnam opened with a 73. Zoeller and Jacobsen each shot 76. Glen Day (Little Rock) had three birdies and two bogeys for a 1-under 71.
• European Tour rookie Francesco Laporta opened a one-shot lead at the Trophee Hassan II with a 2-under-par 70 in the second round on Friday to move to 6-under par overall. Italy's Laporta, ranked No. 787, made a bogey and double-bogey in successive holes in his opening nine, but held it together coming home to go into the weekend with a slim advantage at Royal Golf Dar Es Salam. Australian Jason Scrivener, part of a three-way tie for the lead alongside Laporta and Thomas Linard overnight, carded 71 to slip into a tie for second. Scrivener is alongside Spain's Borja Virto Astudillo (70) and South Korea's Wang Jeunghun (68) on 5 under. Frenchman Linard ended the second round in a tie for 35th after eight bogeys and a double-bogey.
TENNIS
Murray, Nadal to meet
Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal will meet again in the semifinals of the Madrid Open today, a rematch of last year's final won by the British player. The second-ranked Murray defeated Tomas Berdych 6-3, 6-2 on Friday to make the last four for the second consecutive Masters tournament on clay, while Nadal had to fight hard to get past Joao Sousa of Portugal 6-0, 4-6, 6-3. Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia, celebrating her 27th birthday, reached the women's final by beating American qualifier Louisa Chirico 6-1, 6-1 in less than an hour. She will play either Simona Halep or Samantha Stosur. Murray defeated Nadal in straight sets last year to win his first Masters title on clay, but Murray lost to Nadal in the Monte Carlo semifinals last month. Also through to the semis was sixth-ranked Kei Nishikori, who edged Nick Kyrgios 6-7 (6), 7-6 (1), 6-3 in a thriller that lasted 2 hours, 38 minutes. Nishikori will play either Novak Djokovic or 10th-ranked Milos Raonic.
BASKETBALL
Curry unlikely today
Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry zipped around the court on Friday in Oakland, Calif., bouncing from spot to spot during his typical extensive post-practice shooting routine, driving to the basket past his regular practice coach Bruce Fraser. Curry looked much like his healthy self except for a brace covering his injured right knee. He returned to practice Friday to test his sprained knee and was strong in his lateral movement though the team didn't scrimmage at all. And the Warriors still considered him doubtful to play in today's Game 3 of the Western Conference semifinals at Portland. Coach Steve Kerr reiterated Friday that Curry was unlikely to play despite going through part of practice. Kerr was surprised to see reports of Curry being ruled out based on a radio interview he had given earlier in the day on the Dan Patrick Show. Kerr said he should have been clearer that he meant "probably" out.
• The Utah Jazz have extended the contract of Coach Quin Snyder. The team announced a "long-term" extension Friday morning, but did not release other details of the deal. The 2016-2017 season would have been the third year of the initial three-year deal Snyder signed when he was hired. The team has gone 78-86 in two years under Snyder and narrowly missed the playoffs this season. Snyder is considered one of the young, bright minds in the game with a knack for developing players. The Jazz allowed just 95.4 points per game the last two seasons, the second-fewest in the league despite a roster that was ravaged by injuries. Snyder kept the team in contention for a playoff spot without starting point guard Dante Exum for the entire season and with Rudy Gobert, Derrick Favors and Alec Burks all missing long stretches.
HOCKEY
Lindsay finalists named
Dallas forward Jamie Benn, Washington goalie Braden Holtby and Chicago forward Patrick Kane are the finalists for the Ted Lindsay Award as the NHL's most outstanding player. The award is the only NHL honor determined by the players themselves. They voted at end of the regular season and the top three were designated as finalists Friday. The winner will be announced June 22 during the NHL Awards in Las Vegas. Benn had a career-high 41 goals and 89 points in 82 games. Holtby matched Martin Brodeur's NHL season victory record, going 48-9-7 with three shutouts. He had a 2.20 GAA and .922 save percentage. Kane led the NHL with 106 points and had 46 goals in 82 games.
FOOTBALL
Minority program set
The NFL will partner with the Mid-Eastern Athletic and Southwestern Athletic conferences to increase opportunities for ethnic minorities interested in pursuing careers in football administration. The league said Friday the agreement with the two historically black college conferences is to give qualified professionals and students the skills for such jobs. MEAC and SWAC personnel will take part in programs that include internships at the team and league level. They will work with football operations staffers, such as trainers, video directors and equipment managers. Networking and mentorship opportunities also will be available.
Sports on 05/07/2016